


In Which Marinette has an Identity Crisis, Kagami is Bold, and Adrien Doesn't Even Notice

by krypticgametress



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir in Denial, Bi-Curiosity, Bisexual Juleka Couffaine, Bisexual Kagami Tsurugi, Chloè redemption, Conflicted Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Confused Kagami Tsurugi, Dragon Kagami Tsurugi | Ryuko, Episode: s03 Desperada, Episode: s03 Ikari Gozen, F/F, F/M, Gabriel is a good dad, Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I try my best tho, Identity Reveal, Kagami is Neurodivergent, Kinda, Like a son, Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila Rossi fucking dies, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, M/M, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug has ADHD, Matchmaker Alya Césaire, Minor Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Multi, Nathalie loves adrien, Optimistic Kagami Tsurugi, Perceptive Kagami Tsurugi, Polyamory, Protective Kagami Tsurugi, Smart Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Superheroes, Tomoe Tsurugi is a decent parent, Turtle Nino Lahiffe | Carapace, author is a mess, don't make it weird, except for the fact he's a supervillain and all, i don't swear this much irl, no beta we die in a fire of errors, not really but i wish, slightly plot divergent, the author is a fucking mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28728813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krypticgametress/pseuds/krypticgametress
Summary: Marinette didn't think she'd be spending the day with her love-rival-slash-future-girlfriend-that-she-shares-with-their-mutual-boyfriend. But here they were, and Marinette's hands were strangely clammy, and Kagami had a thirst for orange juice, and Adrien's nanny can't tell the difference between him and a wax statue.A story that includes a love hexagon, superheroes, and teenagers questioning their sexual identities.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Marc Anciel/Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi
Comments: 16
Kudos: 67





	1. Stupid Cute Kagami, Aspirational Adrien, and Manic Marinette

**Author's Note:**

> I'm glad the title lured you in and the summary tricked you into reading. I hope you enjoy reading this, because I enjoy writing it. I'll try not to add notes to the end unless truly needed, since I find it kills the vibe.

It was a fair-weathered day and Marinette’s band of girls were all huddled around her computer, watching Adrien Agreste on the screen as he watched them from her many posters. 

Today was Friendship Day, and Marinette was prepared to solve puzzles, plant trees, operate heavy machinery, and basically do whatever it takes to find Adrien. And, of course, bond with her new friend.

Speaking of which, Adrien hit the button and the girls all received a message with their first riddle. Alya left first, then Rose, then Alix, and finally Marinette processed the words on the screen.

“With one turn of the handle, I can raise the level…?” As she muttered to herself, Juleka slipped out of the room and Tikki came out of hiding to read the message for herself.

Marinette groaned, “Who thought of this?” What could this even mean?

“You’ve got this, Marinette!” Tikki giggled, and flew back into her purse to snack on cookie crumbs.

Marinette went over the possible places it could be. The phrase echoed in her mind, and she knew if she didn’t solve it, she’d let down her friend and would never find Adrien! Adrien… Marinette snapped herself out of her endless staring at one particular poster (one of Adrien, The Fragrance, if you must know), and marched down the ladder. Her brain would work better with some movement and a bit of fresh air, so she began to walk with no particular direction, hoping her brain would start functioning properly.

“One turn of the handle, I can raise the level,” she repeated to herself, “One turn of the handle, I can raise the level… one turn of the handle… Raise the level!” Marinette spun on her heel, wishing she picked the other random direction to walk in, and took off towards the Canal Saint-Martin.

* * *

Sometimes, Kagami couldn’t believe how crafty she was. With her 2 hour timer ticking down and her mother’s “voice” controlling Tatsu, their self-driving car, she was on her way to the Canal Saint-Martin to meet her new friend.

‘A friend!’ Kagami thought. Growing up sheltered, her mother had set her on the path to greatness. She’d trained her whole life to be an Olympic-level fencer, and continue her family legacy. Intensive training and a strict dietary regime didn’t leave much room for a social life. She didn’t hold it against Tomoe Tsurugi. She knew her mother wanted what’s best for her-- or rather, what she believed was best for her-- and so raised her as a strong, intelligent, and independent woman. Still, a selfish part of Kagami resented her for stunting her social skills for so long.

But no more! It was Kagami’s time to shine, and she was ecstatic at the thought of making a friend that wasn’t pre-approved by her mother. She felt a small smile beginning to make its way onto her face, and opened the car mirror to practice. Her app had said that smiling was one of the best ways to make friends, and after not feeling the need to do so, she needed to cram in all the practice she could get.

Kagami bared her teeth in a way that reminded her of the photos they took in the clinic before she got braces, but that’s how the app had said to do it. No matter, she was certain would end the day with two people in her contacts!

* * *

Adrien woke up this morning with no idea that he was going to be on TV, but here he was anyways, in the Grévin Wax Museum, making polite conversation with Mireille and Aurore. 

One of his least favourite habits of his father was the fact that he usually neglected to tell him when he scheduled something for him, no matter far in advance it was booked. It was probably on purpose, so he has a quick excuse to stop Adrien from hanging out with friends and keep him under lock and key, but it wouldn’t surprise him if he simply forgot to tell him. After all, one of Gabriel Agreste’s favourite pastimes seemed to be forgetting about his son.

Whatever. At least this was one of the better things his father made him do. He got to catch up with Mireille and Aurore, who he’d met at school but only really got to talk to on TV sets. They were nice enough, but he didn’t have enough in common with them to do more than make polite small talk over slightly stale cookies from the craft services area.

He wondered what it would be like if he wasn’t a famous supermodel. Maybe he’d be watching some other teen heartthrob on TV. Nino wasn’t playing the game, but Alya and Marinette were, so maybe he’d have met up with them this morning to watch the opening broadcast. Maybe he’d be allowed to roam the city and look for clues with a stranger, making a new friend and having fun. 

Adrien stopped thinking about that. If his parents weren’t the way they were, if he wasn’t hidden from the world, then he wouldn’t really be “Adrien”. His thoughts instead drifted to what he had. He had Nino, and Alya, and Marinette, and they liked him the way he was.

Well, he wasn’t so sure about Marinette. Adrien believed she was afraid of him. Whenever she was talking to other people, she was normal and somewhat articulate with her words and actions. Once she noticed him, though, it was game over. She stumbled over her words, tripped on air, and her hands got so sweaty they glistened in the light. He didn’t know what he did-- he thought everything was okay with them after he explained himself on that very first day of school, but clearly something had happened that had gone over his head.

He wished he could figure her out, but the girl with the silky black hair and bluebell eyes was as elusive as she was clumsy. He wished he could be closer to her, but whenever he asked Nino why she seemed to hate him, he laughed and avoided the topic, and every time he wanted to talk to her she seemed to disappear… or maybe it was him who was always running off to fight akumas.

Black hair, black hair… Kagami also had beautiful black hair. Her brown eyes were gorgeous and enrapturing. Adrien mused about Kagami, wondering if she was playing the game, whether he’d get to see her today. They hadn’t met up in a while outside of fencing, and during their classes it was impossible to talk to her. She was so passionate about her art, focused and fearless and so out of reach. He could never be in her league, which is why his growing affection for her was irrational.

Of course, he always had Ladybug. Ladybug, who didn’t even see him the way he saw her. Ladybug, who was courageous and spunky and the love of his life. Ladybug, who was in love with another guy.

Adrien sighed, and sipped on a scalding hot cup of coffee. It burned his tongue, but over the years he’d learned to stifle inconvenient reactions.

Why were the untouchable girls the ones he admired so much?

* * *

Marinette tried to catch her breath while looking around for her partner.

“Tikki! What if my teammate hates me? What if they know me and I’ve embarrassed myself before? What if they tell all their friends how much I suck? What if--”

“Marinette!” The little red kwami interrupted, used to Marinette’s spiralling, “It’s going to be fine! Everyone loves you! You’ll win this person over, no problem, whoever they are!”

Marinette saw a sleek red car pull up, and a sound that can only compare to the squeak of a mouse came out of her mouth.

“My partner… Kagami!!”

“That’s good, right? She’s friends with Adrien, which means she must be nice!” Tikki suggested.

“He’s also friends with Chloe,” she grumbled, “Although, not by choice…” Marinette sighed. “I don’t know if I can do this, Tikki… Kagami is too intimidating, with her… stupid cute face and her… cool fencing skills…” She buried her face in her hands and stamped her feet, the overwhelming thoughts getting converted into kinetic energy.

“I have to do this. I will work with Kagami and find Adrien! Together!”

* * *

“She’s so… strange.” 

Kagami watched Marinette’s antics from afar, recalling similar peculiar behaviour the other times they’d encounter each other. Kagami had a feeling that Marinette liked Adrien, but ever since Kagami had met him, she’d intended to pursue him romantically. Marinette stood in the way of that. 

The thing is, she didn’t know whether the klutzy girl was an obstacle or a distraction. 

Kagami shook the thoughts of love from her head. She had other things to worry about. 

“Fate has placed her in my path. It’s time for me to make a friend, or maybe even…” She grinned in anticipation, “A best friend.”

She checked her timer and her social cues app one more time before making her way across the bridge, meeting the adorably awkward Marinette halfway. 


	2. Marinette Panics, and Kagami Can’t Make Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls get closer over awkward questions and even more awkward smiles.

“Were you about to leave?”

“Huh?” Marinette blinked.

“I saw you about to walk away.”

“No, I--”

“Anyways, I’m glad you changed your mind. I look forward to getting closer to you.” The corners of Kagami’s lips turned up every so slightly, and Marinette couldn’t help but gush.

Wait, what?

Of course, Marinette knew that she found girls pretty. But she couldn’t be a lesbian! It’s not that she had anything against it- she loved and supported Rose and Juleka, but she simply couldn’t be one because she likes guys!

Which is why she was confused about why she was acting like Adrien had winked at her.

“I, er, I fook lorward to-- I mean, I look forward to getting to know you too, Kamago-- uh, Kagamoo-- Kagami!” Marinette couldn’t take this. She was going to die on the spot. Luckily, she was saved by the bell- or rather, the ding of a message.

An overeager and slightly robotic voice begins to speak. “Congratulations! You've just located your game partner. And who knows? Maybe even a new friend for life.” Marinette looked up at Kagami to see how she reacted to this, but the Japanese girl was focused on the screen, where the second riddle had appeared.

Marinette looked down to read, but her brain was too full of thoughts of her and Kagami (as friends! Definitely just as friends!) to accept any more information. Kagami noticed her staring blankly at the screen and, having been trained by her mother to recognize and respect people with different needs, she began to read the question out loud.

“Here, Marinette. It says, ‘To get closer to your goal, you must explore further and deeper’. Do you have any ideas on what that could mean?” Of course, it clicked for her the second she read the riddle, but this was a team effort, and more importantly, a pursuit for friendship. From personal experience and her research of effective friendship making strategies, she’d found that people don’t typically like being overshadowed or made a fool of.

Marinette appreciated Kagami reading the clue out to her. She typically had a much easier time processing audible instructions over written ones, and she found it so sweet that Kagami noticed her struggling and that she knew exactly how to-

“Marinette?”

“SORRY! Oh, um, I think we should, er, take the subway and go to… England? Deeper and further, right?” Marinette made up something on the spot so it didn’t seem like she was daydreaming, but the more she spoke the worse it got. Her cheeks flushed red from embarrassment, but Kagami didn’t seem to mind her unhelpful words. Or maybe she did? Marinette couldn’t read her very well.

“No, I disagree. I think it means we must go further down the Seine, since the banks are lower than this canal.”

As Marinette thought about the Seine, she remembered the Pont des Arts bridge, and she imagined her on the bridge with someone else, someone who seemed to be an odd mish-mash of Adrien and Kagami. The two of them clipped a shiny pink lock onto the wire fence, and it leaned in towards her and…

“NO!” She shouted. “I mean, yes! That sounds right!”

Kagami nodded at the affirmation, and turned to begin the journey. Marinette heard the silent request for her to follow, and complied.

While she was walking, just thinking about how glossy Kagami’s hair was and how she had gotten it to be so perfectly smooth without using obvious amounts of hair gel, she got a video message from Alya.

“Hey girl! I sure hope your partner's as cool as mine; meet Wayhem!” Alya turned the camera slightly to show a guy who looked like an off-brand Adrien. “You'd better hurry up if you wanna get to Adrien before we do, 'cause we've already solved our first riddle!”

Checking to see that Kagami wasn’t too far ahead and wouldn’t miss her, she quickly began to record.

“I’m with  _ Kagami!  _ Can you believe this?” Marinette whined. “She’s so perfect and pretty and so distracting… I don’t know if we’ll ever get to Adrien at this rate, I can’t stop looking at her!” She sighed dreamily, looking over at the aforementioned girl’s receding figure, before remembering to stop recording and hit send. Marinette needed to stop- this wasn’t normal! She liked boys, specifically Adrien! It was probably because Kagami had a nice, short haircut and muscles and a toned body and… there she goes again.

Kagami was already on the bridge when Marinette caught up, apologizing and claiming she had to tie her shoes. Kagami quickly showed her a box.

“We were right. We need to use this fishing rod and this magnet to catch something in the water.”

“Oh, I’ll do it! I’m really good at the fishing games at carnivals!” Marinette volunteered, glad to actually be of use. Kagami gave a strange, wide mouthed smile, and placed the rod in her hands. Marinette held her breath as one of Kagami’s hands cupped hers, and the other turned her to face the water. She had surprisingly warm hands, and the cold after she removed them seemed like a punishment, so when Marinette was told to fish she did so immediately.

She had half a mind to pretend like she didn’t know what she was doing, in the hopes that Kagami would guide her again, but her rational side silenced that and said to focus on catching the right thing.

Marinette feels the fishing rod tug slightly, and as she reels it in she sees Kagami reading from her phone in her peripheral vision. She got a little annoyed that she was doing all the work while Kagami was on her phone but all was quickly forgotten when she had a rusty whistle in her hand and the other girl began to speak.

“Do you prefer to be called by your full name, or a nickname?” Again, she gave that smile that showed a few too many teeth, but that Marinette was beginning to find endearing. Too shy to request a nickname, she tossed the whistle into the box and said that her full name was fine. Kagami nodded and watched her fish silently. When her phone made a noise and she checked again, a ghastly truth dawned on Marinette; she could be texting Adrien!

“Uh, your hair is… very shiny!” Kagami stated, giving her toothy smile again. Marinette laughed stiffly, her face burning from the compliment.

“Thank you…? Your hair is very… round?”

“Thank you, Marinette.”

* * *

The app Kagami had downloaded could sense a lull in conversation, and provided a new conversation starter if so. Kagami had memorized them earlier, but as she mentally filed through the imaginary flashcards she found herself drawing blanks. 

She was nervous, and her nerves made her forget things. This is why Kagami didn’t worry- it made her forget, and once you forget you’re vulnerable and weak. And Kagami wasn’t weak.

Her phone came to her rescue, chiming pleasantly and providing her with handy sentences. Marinette tried to sneak a peek at the screen, but Kagami didn’t want her seeing the app. It was embarrassing to have an electronic teach you how to be human, so Kagami switched off the screen without reading it and said the first thing that popped into her mind.

“What’s your blood type?” And she smiled. Finally something she could actually expand on! However, this question seemed to catch Marinette off guard.

“I don’t know? Are you messing with me?” She dropped a pot into the box.

“No, not at all. Everyone in Japan knows their blood type. It tells you who you are. My blood type is O, which means I’m intuitive, strong-willed and optimistic.”

Her phone chimed again to give her another prompt, and she checked it quickly.

“What is your favourite season?”

Marinette’s indecisive answer was endearing. She rambled on about the different things she likes about each season, eventually not choosing any single season at all. Kagami knew exactly what her blood type was, now!

“You’re indecisive, scatterbrained, irresponsible, you have a split personality: typical AB.” She smiled again, but Marinette seemed wary. Had she said something wrong?

It finally hit her that being indecisive, scatterbrained, and irresponsible was considered neither a set of good traits nor a compliment, but before she could apologize or clarify her point, her phone chimed again.

Kagami saw the words in her mind’s eye and read them out. “Let's say you found out about some special chocolate ice cream; you really want to try it, but someone else gets there first. Do you, A, steal it from them? B, get another type of chocolate ice cream, even if it's not as good? Or, C,  _ never _ eat chocolate ice cream ever again?” She smiled, and Marinette smiled back.

“I’d… get another flavour?”

Kagami nodded at this, and pondered what it said about Marinette. The app simply gave the question, but didn’t analyze how the answers reflected on one’s character. What was the point?

* * *

Kagami seemed a bit awkward, but she clearly grew up in a similar situation to Adrien, so probably wasn’t the best at interacting with others. Still, she wondered what she kept looking at on her phone. It saddened Marinette a bit that she wasn’t having as much fun with her, and wished there was something she could do about it.

She felt a weight on the end of her string, and pulled it up. She realized she’d found the next clue right as Kagami began to speak.

“Say, Marinette, how would you like to get some orange juice with me?”

More time? With Kagami? Say no more. Marinette carefully dropped the box on the ground behind her and pushed it away with her heel.

“Yes! I’m totally down, let’s get going now before it gets late!” 

“But it’s only 2 in the afternoon? Hey, what is that?” As Marinette begins to lead the athlete away, she noticed the badly hidden box.

“Marinette, you did very well in fishing. Good job.” Kagami’s bizarre smile had grown on her and along with her praise, it made her heart flutter. Maybe orange juice could wait. After all, winning was sure to make her even happier, which meant more smiling!

“First we win, then, we can get orange juice!”


	3. Adrien Needs to Use Moisturizer, Marinette is Dramatic and Kagami Gets Eaten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momma Tsurugi becomes a child-eating transformer. Kagami becomes overpowered. Chat flirts with 2 superheroines. Ladybug has a lady crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters should have some more Adrien/Chat Noir content, but since the main focus of Ikari Gozen is the Kagaminette dynamic, that's also the focus of this chapter.
> 
> Also, this story does feature the buildup to the Adrigaminette polycule, but rest assured, the story isn't over after the confession. There will be post-relationship action! I'm planning something in this evil head of mine... ;)

Kagami and Marinette made their way around Paris. Marinette tried really hard to solve the riddles and impress Kagami, but her brain decided to not function in the presence of a pretty girl, so Kagami took the lead. She felt a bit bad about dragging Kagami back, but Tikki reminded her that it wasn’t about the end goal of finding Adrien, but about spending time and bonding with Kagami. Inspired and reinvigorated, she set her mind on assisting Kagami the best she could. 

They sped through the riddles, and when Kagami would grab Marinette by the hand and smile and gently pull her to the next location, Marinette would melt into a big gloopy puddle.

She really needed to talk to Alya about this.

* * *

The girls had switched phones for the final task, and a bad part of Marinette told her to snoop through Kagami’s phone.

_ ‘What if she’s texting Adrien? Am I jealous of her?’  _ She thought to herself. Jealousy was an unhealthy emotion.  _ ‘Or maybe, I’m jealous of him,’  _ an even smaller part of her spoke. She squashed that thought immediately, but worry swept over her. What if Kagami didn’t like her and was telling all her friends that she was a loser with cold, sweaty hands who didn’t know how to solve basic riddles? What if she told Adrien, and now he hated her and she’d never get her three kids and dog and hamster?

The anxiety overtook her, and she exited the camera app to look through her text messages….

Which were empty, besides the contest. Then, she went into Kagami’s contacts, and saw only one-- Tomoe Tsurugi, her mother! 

_ ‘She only has her mom in her phone? She doesn’t even have Adrien’s number!’  _ She was on a roll with her snooping, though, and couldn’t stop herself from pilfering through the apps. They were the basic ones you get on your phone, but there was a green icon she didn’t recognize.

Upon clicking it, Marinette regretted ever nosing around. It was an app for learning to make friends! That explained the exaggerated smile, the physical contact (not that she minded), and the seemingly random questions.

“Kagami was just trying to be my friend, Tikki!”

The little goddess shook her head at her friend’s antics. Marinette went off to find a good place for a photo, and as she ran, she added her number to Kagami's contacts.

* * *

Her smiles looked off... a little too broad, too many teeth. Did Marinette notice? If she did, she probably didn't say anything. She was so kind.

As Kagami tested another grin, a message popped up. She swiped it away, not wanting to invade her new friend’s privacy. But then another one came up. Swipe. And another, And another. Kagami swiped them all away, but one misclick and on her screen was a vaguely familiar girl with dark skin and rounded glasses. She recalled seeing her in one of the photos in Adrien’s room, huddled close to a boy with headphones and a graphic t-shirt. She had assumed that was her boyfriend, which is why she had been slightly sad to see Adrien next to a grinning Marinette, assuming it had been a double date. However, when Adrien claimed that they were friends, she found her worries had been for nothing.

“You got paired up with  _ Kagami?  _ Good luck with that, girl.” The girl, who she remembered was called Alya, snorted in laughter. “Can’t wait to hear how you mess everything up. See you at the finish line, after  **we** win!” An artificially blond boy that Kagami didn’t recognize waved from beside her, but she recognized his clothes as Adrien’s signature outfit. He was probably a fan of Adrien’s, she concluded.

She felt a lump rise in her throat, but she didn’t know why. From what the girl said, she assumed that Marinette had complained to her about being partnered together, and had plotted against her. Kagami was used to people not liking her-- she was straightforward, and many people found her to be very brash and often unkind. But she wasn’t unkind, she was honest, and this hurt more than it normally did. She wondered why.

She took a quick picture in front of the Obelisque de Louxor, and set her path back to the bench where they split up, breathing deeply even though it hurt her throat.

* * *

Somewhere in the Agreste Mansion, Hawkmoth stood in his lair, butterflies flitting around him. He felt a strong pang of negative emotion, which he got better at detecting each day. He recognized this girl- Tomoe Tsurugi’s daughter; he’d akumatized her in the past. She was strong and passionate, and so, he felt like this was the day he’d claim the miraculous.

“How tragic it is to feel unloved. Alone, deprived of friendship.”

When he held out an open hand, a butterfly fluttered down and rested in his palm. He covered it with his other hand, and dark energy flowed into it. The now-black butterfly flew out of the small opening in his window. 

“Fly away, my little Akuma, and evilise her!”

* * *

“Kagami, wait up!” Marinette ran towards the girl, who heard her but seemed to not want to look at her.

“I’m sorry, Marinette. I guess I'm not worthy of your friendship; our blood types must be too incompatible.” Kagami’s voice slowly got quieter, until she was speaking in barely a whisper.

Marinette cursed herself internally as she saw that Kagami’s eyes were glistening with tears. What did she do? How could she fix this? They were supposed to get orange juice together and become friends!

“Kagami, what are you talking about? I had a really good time with you today. Did I do something to make you uncomfortable?”

“I saw the message your friend sent you. It was a mistake, I tried to swipe it away, but I know you told her that you were my partner and were messing with me.” Kagami broke eye contact, and for the first time since Marinette had met her, she looked hesitant. “I thought we were becoming friends, but I guess I’m still as bad at reading people as before.”

She shoved Marinette’s phone into the other girl’s hands and went to leave. Marinette began to speak, to explain and ask her to stay, but was interrupted by a ringing phone. She picked up and said, “Hello?”

“Kagami, where are you? You were supposed to wait for me at home.”

Marinette froze. She recalled Kagami talking about her strict mother and carefully crafted an answer, trying not to make her angry.

“Er, I’m not Kagami, I’m Marinette! I’m Kagami’s friend! I’ll put her on right now.” She beamed at the brown eyed girl and was met with a small, but genuine smile. She was about to hand the phone to her until she heard Tomoe beginning to speak again.

“Kagami doesn’t have any friends. Where is my daughter? Give her the phone.”

“Excuse me,” Marinette began, and Kagami saw the beginnings of a side of her she hadn’t noticed before, “But your daughter is an amazing girl. She’s strong willed and beautiful and so passionate, and I’m honored to be able to call myself her friend!”

Nobody had ever defended her like that. She had stood up for herself against every adversary, except for her mother. But Marinette did. And she was there for her. And Kagami was glad to have her.

“I promise to have her home in one piece, we just need to finish our game and then we’re grabbing orange juice.”

“Game? The one I forbid her from participating in? Put Kagami on rig-” Tomoe Tsurugi suddenly stopped talking, and the girls looked at each other in confusion.

“With pleasure, Hawkmoth.”

The line gets disconnected, and Marinette looks sheepishly at Kagami.

“Sorry, Kagami. I think I made your mom mad, like, really mad. In fact, I think you should go and hide from her now.” Marinette reached out with Kagami’s phone, and the other girl grabbed it, then pulled Marinette towards her by the wrist and enveloped her in a hug.

_ ‘OhmygodwhatishappeningrightnowisKagamihuggingme?’  _ Marinette’s heart was racing and she prayed that Kagami couldn’t feel it beating through her chest. She hugged her back, breathing in the minty scent that seemed to linger on her skin. She was nice and warm, and Marinette felt safe in her arms.

“Marinette, I… thank you for defending me. Does this mean you don’t hate me?”

Kagami was so warm. “No! I mean yes! I mean, I don’t hate you Kagami! I really really like you and,” Marinette realized what she said and backtracked, “I told Alya that I was nervous to play with you because I want to be friends, and I was worried I would mess things up. You’re so sweet, and I didn’t want to ruin the game for us.” Marinette backed up from the hug only slightly, and looked up at the other girl.

Kagami’s pale face had gained a light pink colour as she stared at Marinette, but her face contorted into a scream as she was grabbed from behind by a giant robot and yanked from Marinette's arms.

“Kagami, you have disobeyed me for the last time!” The giant robot shouted, and swallowed Kagami with its metallic mouth. 

Marinette heard Kagami yelling from the inside, and knowing she was safe in there, she ducked away to transform. 

* * *

Adrien was chatting with Aurore (and was trying to ignore his burnt tongue) when an alarm sounded.

_ ‘I hate how this is the new normal,’ _ he thought to himself as the crew fled the museum after hearing the words “Akuma Alert”. 

In a panic, the Gorilla grabbed Adrien and went to hide. Wax Adrien, that is.

“My real face isn’t that matte, right?” Adrien wonders aloud, touching his hand to his face to see if there’s a drought of natural oils.

“Who cares about wax anyways, if it’s not filled with cheese?” Plagg lamented, barely having time to start another cheese based rant before Adrien transformed.

When he got to the scene of the akuma attack, he watched from a tree and smiled, seeing his Lady holding her own against a vicious villain. 

“You'll never catch me! I'm Ikari Gozen. As elusive as the wind, as powerful as the flood, as swift as lightning!” The machine yelled, and the familiar phrase registered in his brain. 

“Tomoe Tsurugi?” He wondered, as Ladybug crash landed in the tree next to him. 


	4. Ryuuko is OP, Chat Noir has 2 Ladies Now, and Ladybug Messes Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami transforms into Ryuuko for the first time, Chat Noir finds the new hero surprisingly cute, Ladybug forgets something very important, and Rena Rouge makes sure Kagami isn't exposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so late and I have an exam tomorrow, but I felt bad leaving you without updating today. It's already tomorrow though, so it didn't matter either way.
> 
> This is still a Kagami-Marinette heavy chapter, with Chat showing up and Rena Rouge making an appearance. I tweaked the way the episode goes and made an adjustment to how Kagami's powers work, but I think it worked out well. Also, Alya needs more love. The girl works hard.
> 
> Also, this is quite a bit longer than my usual chapters, so buckle up.

After catching Chat up to what went down with Kagami (citing helpful civilian Marinette without mentioning that they were one and the same), Ladybug activated her lucky charm. A single movie ticket fluttered down into her hands, and she smirked.

“Dinner and a movie sounds lovely, milady. Let’s go.” Chat Noir joked, and she chuckled.

She glanced around, hoping to trigger her Ladybug intuition. Nothing. “Sorry, Kitty. One ticket. Solo mission. Be back soon!”

She landed lightly in an alley next to the cinema, detransforming as she touched down. She guessed that the ticket was leading her to the Guardian, who she hadn’t seen since Hawkmoth had figured out his secret identity. Marinette gave Tikki a macaron, and entered the building.

She found nobody staffing the place, but a few kids were in the arcade section, playing a basketball game. The place smelled like buttered popcorn and cleaning product, likely from all the messes that come from sticky soda and children on sugar-highs. She walked up to the ticket counter, about to ring the bell but decided against it. She didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention.

“Excuse me? I’d like to see a movie, please.” Her voice carried the way she wanted it to, and she hoped the Guardian would hear her and come meet her. She yelped in surprise when he popped up front beneath the counter.

“Hello, Marinette. Would you like some popcorn?”

“Master Fu!” She beamed. She’d missed the wise old man, and was glad to see he seemed to be okay. “I’m happy to see you, and I’m sorry if I seem impatient, but…”

Master Fu was already setting the miracle box on the counter after checking around. Although it was a weekend, most Parisians were participating in the friendship game or had headed home because of the akuma attack, so the room was a ghost town.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you on this mission.”

She reflected on the previous miraculous holders, and wondered who would be the most beneficial. Ikari Gozen’s goal was to control her daughter and separate her from the outside world (and of course, capture their miraculous). She already had her daughter, and she was a woman who likely tended to get tunnel-vision, so using Rena Rouge to distract her from her goal would be pointless. 

Carapace would be somewhat useful, but their goal was to destroy the bokken. The villain was strong, but not so dangerous they needed an impenetrable shield. She seemed like the kind of person who could wait it out, anyways.

And Queen Bee… could be disastrous. Hawkmoth has seen her leave Chat Noir alone, and might anticipate the appearance of another superhero. With both Chloe and the Guardian’s identity revealed, Queen Bee was way too much of a risk to ever make a reappearance. Ladybug wasn’t looking forward to breaking the news to the blonde brat, and even less to fighting the akumatized villain that would spawn from her anger.

Suddenly, Marinette had a spark of genius. She grabbed both the Fox and the Dragon miraculous, thanked Master Fu, and rushed out to find Alya Cesaire. 

* * *

It’s not everyday Ladybug comes knocking at your window, which is why Alya did a double take after seeing her favourite heroine standing on her balcony.

“Ladybug!” She said, sliding open the glass doors and letting the dotted girl inside. “What are you-” she began, but seeing the black box in her hand, she understood.

“Trixx, let’s pounce!”

* * *

Chat Noir blocked the oversized bokken over and over, glad his father’s insistence that he took fencing classes was paying off. Not that he didn’t enjoy the sport, he just wished he could have a hobby that he wasn’t forced to compete or be the best in. But that's besides the point, because behind the robot, he saw Ladybug and Rena Rouge watching him from a roof. 

He didn’t give any indication that he saw them- he knew that if his Lady wasn’t down here helping him as soon as she could, she must have made a plan, and the element of surprise never hurt anyone. Instead, he kept an eye on them in his peripheral vision, and called out to Kagami in the meantime.

“Kagami, are you okay in there?”

“Yes, Chat Noir. I’m wearing a seatbelt, so I’m not being thrown around, but to be honest it’s still quite disoriented.” 

He smiled at her words, as if Kagami was ever not honest, but was distracted from the butterflies in his stomach by the sword in his side. He was pulled to his feet by Ladybug, who swept him up and away from Ikari Gozen.

* * *

Rena watched through the zoom function on her flute-phone to wait and do what she and Ladybug had planned. 

“Ikari Gozen, we’ve decided that it is too much of a risk to your daughter to continue fighting you.” Ladybug shouted from a roof. She and Chat Noir hopped down to the ground, and they looked solemnly at each other.

“We’re surrendering our miraculous.”

An evil laugh rang out, and a chill went down Rena’s spine. Creepy.

“But, only if you release your daughter first.” Chat Noir finished Ladybug’s sentence.

After pausing for a bit, probably listening to Hawkmoth talk into her mind, Ikari Gozen sneered. “And why on Earth would I trust you? You’ll probably just take Kagami and hide her away, and I’d be left with nothing!” She shouted the last part, swinging her sword at the pair of heroes, who aptly dodged her.

“How about a trade? Me for Kagami?” Ladybug offered, stepping forward. The red metal centaur creature considered this for a moment, before agreeing. She lowered a hand, and Ladybug stepped onto it, getting swallowed a few moments later.

“Hahaha! Did you really think I’d just let Kagami go? She’s worth much more to me than you superheroes! Not a fair trade at all.”

Chat Noir acted enraged, and began battling the robot again, shouting that she let the two girls go and that a deal was a deal. Rena ignored this, knowing it was all an act. She was watching for her cue, (wind, water, or lightening?) and although it had confused her when Ladybug first said it, she hoped she’d know it when she saw it. 

About a minute passed with nothing, when suddenly, air seemed to be rapidly escaping through every crevice of Ikari Gozen’s heightened form. Ikari Gozen seemed confused and uncomfortable, and stopped fighting Chat in order to try to keep the air in… for whatever reason? Rena Rouge took this opportunity to cast her Mirage.

This illusion was a bit more advanced than her previous ones. With practice, she’d found that she could make it feel like the illusions were physically there! It wasn’t a lot of weight, but enough to trick someone into thinking that there were 2 girls escaping through her throat. Rena watched with glee as Ikari Gozen began to cough, and spit out her 2 illusions of Kagami Tsurugi and Ladybug. 

IllusionBug told Chat Noir to hold off the akuma while she took KagaMirage to safety, and he agreed. The illusions took off, and once they were out of sight, Rena detransformed, which cancelled the Mirage. She stayed at her vantage point and fed Trixx some chocolate she had in her bag. 

Her job wasn’t finished yet, but unfortunately, Rena Rouge would be working only from the shadows today. Trixx, who loved being the center of attention, was bummed, but accepted the Hershey’s Kiss anyways.

* * *

Ladybug sat with Ryuuko behind a chimney as they watched her carefully crafted plan flow as smoothly as a domino train.

When she’d been swallowed, she got over Marinette’s Kagami-shyness (somewhat) and explained the plan to Kagami, crossing her fingers that she’d accept the miraculous and that she hadn’t just sacrificed herself to Hawkmoth

Kagami, like usual, didn’t hesitate. She donned the miraculous and greeted her kwami, Longg, and didn’t waste any time saying the transformation phrase.

Ladybug watched in awe as Kagami’s school uniform became a skin-tight red, black, and yellow suit. It hugged her curves beautifully, and the sharp angles of her mask complimented her pretty eyes. Suddenly, the fuzziness in her that usually accompanied looking at the details of a miraculous user’s appearance for too long came over Ladybug.

For Users that she didn’t know the identities of, like Chat Noir and Hawkmoth, she could only really retain the image of their costumes, and basic things like their height, in her mind. The rest seemed to change every time she thought about it, and even now, she couldn’t really say for certain what colour her partner’s hair was. 

However, since she knew the identities of the helpful temporary heroes, she could recognize and remember their features fairly easily. She assumed that the fuzzy feeling was the glamour, which protected their identities, trying to work, but it was overridden by the fact that it didn’t stop her from remembering what they looked like as civilians. As she looked at Ryuuko, she recognized her fluffy hair and angular face, and felt her face heating up.

“Good job, Ryuuko!” Kagami had taken control of her powers rather quickly, transforming both herself and Ladybug into wind and blowing through the holes in their little cage while their captor was distracted with the illusion. Although their bodies were no longer physical, it had felt like she was suspended in syrup, and Kagami was gripping her hand and pulling them away from the action. Kagami briefly described it as flying effortlessly, and then insisted they go help Chat.

Straight to the point and so conscientious. That’s why she liked her.

Wait what?

No time to dwell on that for that now. Ladybug grabbed Kagami around the waist and Kagami gripped her arm and shoulders, not mentioning her fear of falling as they swung back toward the akuma. It was all okay when she was wind, or when she was jumping over rooftops, but even though she trusted Ladybug with her life, she couldn’t help the paralyzing fear that she would fall to her death and Ladybug would have to explain to her mother that she couldn’t take care of herself, even in a supersuit.

She breathed a sigh of relief as they touched down, and Chat Noir was smacked into a tree after being distracted by the two gorgeous superheroines who arrived beside him.

“Hey,” he winked at Ryuuko from the dent his body had made in the tree, “What’s your name?”

“I’m Ryuuko. Ladybug has requested my assistance with this particular akuma, so I’m here to help any way I can.”

One of the greatest benefits of the Dragon’s powers was the fact that there were 3 different kinds, but the 5 minute countdown that hindered a teenage superhero didn’t start until all three had been used.

As Ladybug and Chat Noir kept Ikari Gozen at bay, Kagami used her ‘lightning’ power to transform into a storm cloud. She looked down at her hands, which seemed to be gray, and her sword changed into a bright yellow bow. She understood what she had to do, and when she heard Chat Noir yell “Cataclysm!” from below, she aimed and shot her akumatized mother.

The electricity from the perfectly-aimed lightning bolt short-circuited the electronic akuma, and in the lull where she had gone perfectly still, Chat Noir’s hand, pulsing with a dark energy, closed around the bokken and reduced it to ash.

Storm clouds deposited Ryuuko on the ground next to Chat, who smiled politely at her, as Ladybug started her routine of purifying the akuma.

“What happened? Where am I? Kagami?” Ryuuko rushed over and helped her blind mother up, reassuring her that her daughter was nearby and would return soon.

“Miraculous Ladybug!” The insect-themed hero shouted, throwing her yoyo in the air (since she didn’t need to use her lucky charm again), and a flurry of ladybugs began to fix all the damage that had been done.

The Miraculous Cure swept over their area, and Rena Rouge, still waiting above, cast the Mirage again. KagaMirage was back by the time the pink ladybugs faded away. She greeted her mother, who, as expected, didn’t make any physical contact with her, but did greet her in a kinder way than usual.

“Pound it!” The three of them shared a three-way fist bump, and the girls quickly said bye to Chat, wanting to replace KagaMirage with the real Kagami before Rena Rouge transformed back or anyone noticed that something was off.

“Longg, open sky.” Kagami said, and her disguise was dropped. Rena Rouge already knew who she was, being the only other person in on their secret plan to keep Ryuuko’s true identity a secret.

“Thank you for your help Rena Rouge, you were invaluable. And because of you, maybe we’ll get a chance to battle together again?” Kagami looked hopefully over at Ladybug, who nodded. Unexpected to all three of them, she pulled them into a group hug.. This had been the best day she’d had in a long time, starting with spending time with Marinette and ending with her becoming an actual superhero!

Oh my god, Marinette!

“My friend, Marinette! She’s out there somewhere, alone! I need to find her!” Kagami began fretting, and Ladybug didn’t know how to say that Marinette was right there without revealing herself. She ignored the fact that Kagami called her a friend so that she didn’t sob with joy, and instead, she said, “Let’s finish our plan by switching you with the Mirage, then Rena can detransform and you can find your friend.”

The coast was clear, and Tomoe was walking towards Tatsu (who had appeared in the Cure) with KagaMirage. Ladybug swooped down with Kagami, who was digging her fingernails into her arms, and set her down beside the illusion. It disappeared, and Ladybug knew that Rena was gone and Alya was stranded on the roof. Before leaving to collect the Fox Miraculous and return her best friend to her room, Ladybug impulsively laid a chaste kiss on Kagami’s cheek and left without a word.

Kagami was glad her mother was blind and couldn’t see her turn bright red.

* * *

Marinette placed the Fox Miraculous into the Miracle box, and her mind was racing. What was she thinking, kissing Kagami as her alter ego. What was she thinking kissing Kagami, period? She wondered if Alya saw, and if she was going to write about it on the Ladyblog. Probably not. 

Alya used to dedicate herself to writing juicy stories where she tried to expose the hero’s identities and finding gossip about them, but as she grew older, that desire for scandal died out and was replaced by a sense of duty to honest journalism. Of course, she still speculated from time to time, but when she was finally given her own Miraculous, she realized the true importance of a secret identity and her theories died out completely.

Satisfied with the way today turned out, she began to leave the cinema in search of Kagami.

“Marinette… where’s the Dragon Miraculous?”

* * *

Tomoe Tsurugi graciously allowed her daughter to continue her game. Akumatization always seemed to change the perspective of the victims, and this seemed to be the case in Tomoe’s situation as well. 

Of course, she demanded to be introduced to Kagami’s new friend and her family at a future date. She couldn’t have her daughter hanging around people who were anything but exceptional.

“We lost.” Kagami said in a rather glum way, showing Marinette the picture of Alya and her teammate with Adrien. Marinette was probably going to go home now.

“We might have lost the game, but we’ve won the right to get orange juice together!”

“Oh, you really meant it when you said you wanted to go with me?” Kagami felt her heart speed up, and she looked up at Marinette with stars in her eyes. That’s it, Marinette was dead. She mustered up some courage and the world went quiet around her as she grabbed Kagami by the hand.

“I would never lie to you.”

* * *

Kagami felt herself drawn to Marinette, the same way she was drawn to Adrien. She wondered if there was a term for liking both men and women, so she decided she’d search it up when she got home, and if there wasn’t, she would invent it herself. For now, she’d enjoy some orange juice with her new… friend.


	5. Kagami and Marinette get OJ, and Tom and Sabine Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short but sweet chapter, this is the wrap-up to Ikari Gozen. Marinette and Kagami go on a juice run, Tomoe sets up a dinner party, and Marinette's parents play video games and giggle about their daughter's all-consuming crush on a woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this is the last chapter without Adrien I promise. I love him but he hasn't been all that present. The next chapter will be the buildup and beginning to the Desperada episode, and Marinette might figure out a thing or two about herself pretty soon. Thanks for reading :)

Kagami and Marinette were in a local cafe. Marinette sat on a couch with her back facing the wall, while Kagami was in a chair opposite her. Their little orange juice “date” started out a bit awkward. On the surface, they only had fencing and Adrien in common, and both in different ways. But as the ball got rolling, they realized that they could be different and still get along incredibly. 

Marinette listened as the dreamy Kagami talked about her extreme love of fencing and competition, and her secret hobby that was art. Apparently, she especially loved watercolour painting and pottery, but harboured many sketchbooks for drawing under her bed. Marinette found it absolutely adorable.

When Marinette spoke about her passion for fashion, she imagined her and Marinette at a high society event, wearing matching Marinette Original dresses and casually chatting with the rich and influential.

Both girls were more flustered from their own thoughts than from the actual conversation, and they had a very profound bonding experience.

Getting to know Kagami was different than it had been with Alya-- she felt like just talking could lead to infinite possibilities, and that they’d have a very intense relationship. Oddly enough, it felt like she imagined dating Adrien would be like.

Kagami was glad to have impressed Marinette enough to have her actually want to pursue their friendship. They’d only met a few times before, but she already felt deeply attached to the girl. She wanted to spend forever with her, but she didn’t say that out loud because people tended to react badly to long-term commitment.

Kagami’s phone buzzed in her pocket, and she saw a long text from her mother.

* * *

**_Mother_ **

_ Here, Party DC refers to Tom Dupain, Sabine Cheng, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Party T refers to Kagami Tsurugi and Tomoe Tsurugi. _

_ Party DC is invited to the home of Party T for a semi-casual dinner. During this dinner, 3 courses will be served while the parties discuss the future of Marinette and Kagami’s relationship, and we assess each other’s characters. _

_ If Party DC accepts this invite within one week of being informed, then they will be given 3 possible dates and times. If these dates would cause a scheduling conflict, 5 additional times will be offered.  _

_ If there is no response, or if Party DC rejects every date without an effort to reschedule, or if Party DC declines the initial invitation, Party T will assume that the friendship has been terminated. _

_ Tomoe Tsurugi _

* * *

Kagami took some time to process the message before informing her friend. “Marinette. My mother would like to have you and your parents over for dinner, since we’ve become friends. I can forward the message to you, if you’ll trust me with your phone number.” 

Kagami clicked the button that allows her to start a new text chain, and was pleasantly surprised to see Marinette pop up as a suggested contact. She felt her eyes water.

“Did you add yourself to my phone when we switched?” Kagami asked, analyzing Marinette’s reaction.   
“Yes! I did, I’m sorry! I didn’t ask.” Marinette said, her face looking worried and apologetic. Kagami couldn’t take this anymore. She quickly stood up and sat right back down beside Marinette, grabbing her hands and staring into her eyes.

“Never apologize for anything. When there’s something you want, you need to take charge and work towards it. Don’t hesitate, lest you lose it altogether.”

Marinette, who had been contemplating how she’d be able to get the Dragon Miraculous back from this miraculous girl, made her decision.

Kagami was going to join their team. Or at least, Ryuuko was.

And maybe Rena Rouge, too. Both of their powers were very beneficial and could be used in a variety of situations, and Rena’s powers were evidently growing stronger every time she used them. She had to talk it over with Chat Noir, of course, but he liked both Rena and Ryuuko, so she had a feeling he’d be glad to have them.

* * *

The sun had set by the time Tatsu came to pick up Marinette and Kagami from the cafe. Before Marinette hopped out of the car, Kagami gave her a hug, and there was a moment when Kagami brushed a loose hair out of Marinette’s face where she thought they were going to kiss.

Dazed, Marinette unlocked and relocked the door to the closed bakery, slipping inside quietly and finding nobody downstairs.

“Mom? Dad? I need to talk to you!” She shouted, making her way up the stairs. She found her parents in the living room, Sabine destroying Tom at Ultimate Mecha Strike III while he was Stormy Weather and she was the Puppeteer.

“Yes! I win again!” Sabine did a victory dance and Marinette rolled her eyes. She hoped that one day, she could have a relationship as strong as her parents, and found herself thinking about Adrien and… Kagami. Oh boy.

“Remember how I told you guys about Kagami? Adrien’s friend?” Her parents began actively listening, latching on to any mention of their daughter’s love life. “Well, I got paired up with her at Friendship Day and we had lots of fun and we almost won, but her mom didn’t want her to play, so when she found out she got akumatized and Alya and her partner won instead but it was okay because we had orange juice with her mom’s permission and now we’re friends!” Marinette remembered to breathe before continuing. “Her mom, Tomoe Tsurugi, wants us to have dinner together. She’s really protective of Kagami so she wants to make sure I’m a good influence on her daughter, and by extension, you.”

Tom and Sabine smiled at their daughter. “Sounds like a plan, Marinette. When will it be?”

Marinette forwarded the message to their family group chat, and they were a bit surprised at how formal it was. They guessed that Kagami’s situation was similar to Adrien’s, and were proud of their daughter for making an effort to make someone else happy even though it might have been difficult.

“Let Kagami know we accept their invite.” Sabine told her daughter. Marinette squealed in glee, and quickly did as she was told. She shared a look with her husband-- the only time Marinette acts that way is when she was crushing hard on someone. It just so happened this time it was a girl, and Marinette didn’t seem to realize it.

“Marinette, you know we love and support you no matter what, right?” Tom said. 

Marinette seemed confused.

“Yeah, of course. Why?”


End file.
